Assessment of shifting cultivation dynamics in East Garo Hills District, Meghalaya, India

Shifting cultivation is an ancient traditional system of cultivation in the slopes of the northeastern region of India, where it is locally known as Jhum cultivation. In these regions, this system of cultivation is at subsistence level. For the study, the area selected is the East Garo Hills district in Meghalaya, one of the states in the region. In the study, a probe is made on the dynamics of parameters, temperature, and rainfall data. The period of study is taken from 1980-2016. Two types of shifting cultivation - current and regenerating shifting cultivation have been distinguished using object-based image analysis. From the study, it is noticed that the area under shifting cultivation is showing an overall decreasing trend. Maximum area under shifting cultivation was mostly found in gentle, strong slopes and mainly at east facing slopes. While moving towards extreme, steep and west facing slopes the area under cultivation was found to be decreasing. The study also reveals more amount of rainfall received there is a decrease in the area of shifting cultivation. Further, a correlation was not being able to establish between temperature and shifting cultivation.